1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electronic image pickup devices for recording picked-up still image data on a recording medium, and more particularly to an electronic image pickup device for managing the image data recorded on the recording medium. The present invention also relates to information recording devices, data managing methods and recording mediums for electronic cameras.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, an electronic image pickup device (so-called electronic still camera) which converts an optical still image picked up by a lens to an electric signal through a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), and stores the electric signal as image data in a storage medium such as a semiconductor memory or a floppy disc is known. Since this electronic still camera stores a still image as electrical information, it is capable of converting the stored image data to a video signal and reproducing it in a television set, transferring the image data through communication lines to a remote place, and/or transferring image data to a personal computer. That is, the stored image data can be processed in various manners.
The conventional electronic still camera stores image data, header information indicative of the order of storage of the images, memory addresses in a recording medium (for example, a semiconductor memory) where the image data are stored, and memory management information indicative of allocation of the header information, image data and the memory management information, in the memory. Thus, if the header information/memory management information are broken for some reason during the operation of the still camera, it cannot be known where the image data is stored in the recording medium, and the image data cannot be read out although the image data is stored securely. In addition, the number of images recorded actually will not coincide with that managed by the header information, the recorded image data cannot be read out, and new image data cannot be recorded. That is, the camera does not operate at all.